1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a target detection system for a vehicle and, more particularly, determining a relative distance and speed of a target vehicle.
2. Background of the Related Art
Drivers are required to make numerous judgments regarding the driving environment while operating a vehicle. In particular, drivers are required to discern the relative position and change in position with regard to other vehicles both behind and in front of the driver""s vehicle. The increased volume of traffic experienced on multi-lane highways make determining speed differentials and relative positions increasingly more difficult for a driver. For example, drivers are often faced with the problem of having to make a quick exit from the far lane of traffic. This requires the driver to make a hasty determination about the immediate driving environment. A cautious driver may check his or her rearview or sideview mirrors to ascertain the relative position of nearby vehicles.
However, conventional driving aids such as mirrors are not well suited for quickly and accurately ascertaining the dynamic driving conditions with which drivers are faced. As a result, drivers often misjudge their abilities to negotiate a given driving situation. Such misjudgments can lead to substantial property damage as well as the injury or debt of drivers or pedestrians.
One attempt to solve the problem is the use of radar systems. Such an approach involves mounting a radar system to a vehicle and operating a radar system to determine the presence of other vehicles in a detection zone. Such systems merely serve to notify an operator of vehicles in the blind spots of mirror-based detection systems. As a result, operators are unable to determine the driving behavior for a particular vehicle and are limited in their ability to predict future driving situations relative to the detected vehicles.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus adapted to detect the presence of proximate vehicles and predict a future state of the vehicle and proximate vehicles.
The present invention provides an apparatus, method and article of manufacture for determining relative speeds between vehicles. In one aspect of the invention, a computer system comprises a detection system disposable on a vehicle and configured to detect at least a speed of one or more target vehicles relative to the vehicle, a signal processing unit coupled to the detection system and configured to transmit a warning signal when a speed of a detected target vehicle is greater than a threshold speed relative to the vehicle and one or more output devices configured to receive the warning signal.
In another aspect of the invention, an apparatus comprises a vehicle comprising a rearview mirror; a detection system disposed on the vehicle and configured to detect at least a speed of one or more target vehicles relative to the vehicle; a signal processing unit coupled to the detection system and configured to transmit a warning signal when the speed of a detected target vehicle is greater than a threshold speed relative to the vehicle. The signal processing unit is further configured to determine a possibility of a congestion condition between the vehicle and the one or more target vehicles; wherein the congestion condition occurs when at least one of the vehicle and the one or more target vehicles is required to adjust vehicle speed. One or more output devices are disposed on the rearview mirror and configured to receive the warning signal and output a warning of the congestion condition.
In still another aspect of the invention, a signal bearing medium containing a program which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps comprising detecting at least a first target vehicle; determining whether the first targeted vehicle is approaching the targeting vehicle at a speed greater than a threshold speed; and if the speed is greater than the threshold speed, outputting a warning signal from an output device disposed on the targeting vehicle.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method for operating a target vehicle detection system disposed on a targeting vehicle, comprises detecting at least a first target vehicle; determining whether the first targeted vehicle is approaching the targeting vehicle at a speed greater than a threshold speed; and if the speed is greater than the threshold speed, outputting a warning signal from an output device disposed on the targeting vehicle.